Tennyo
by Marina Lenore
Summary: What if the Kami reacted... differently to the creation of the Shikon? What might have happened then? Sess/Kag


Once upon a time, there was a miko, a priestess of the Kami gifted with exceptionally strong reiryoku, named Midoriko. Midoriko was kind to innocents, but ruthless to her enemies, and saved many lives – both yōkai and ningen – before the hordes of lesser yōkai were united by the reduction in their numbers to attack her in a group so large that she could not overcome them on her own. In desperation, she cast a spell that swallowed up both herself and the yōkai, enclosing their souls inside of a jewel. The Kami saw this and mourned – because the combination of Midoriko's reiryoku and the lesser yōkai's yōki was too powerful to be let loose upon this world without being protected and restrained: for if the jewel ever shattered then the shards could gift unnatural powers and abilities to those using them or created by them, and if some soul found it whole, then they could wish upon it and that wish would come true, being twisted around in the most malicious way so as to cause disaster, pain, and misery.

After all, there was constantly a battle being waged inside of the jewel, Midoriko continually fighting the being that the horde of lesser yōkai had merged to create, who named himself Magatsuhi and was a master of poison. As one being, it became possible for the soul of Midoriko to hold off the soul of Magatsuhi, but not without so much effort that she could not influence the developing will of the jewel she had created. Magatsuhi, however, _could_ affect its will, and had twisted it so that instead of being balanced between good and evil like it was intended to be – that is to say, neutral – it was vile and wicked.

So the Kami, despite their usual squabbling, united under Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama and created a new tennyo – a celestial maiden with a heart so pure that it could control the inherent vileness of the jewel, which became named the Shikon no Tama: The Jewel of Four Souls.

After a short time in the heavens, however, it became clear that Their newest child was not welcomed by either the tennyo or the tennin, their male counterparts, and so the Kami looked down upon Their creations to find a being that was both strong enough to protect and raise Their special child, would be open minded enough to teach Their child how to protect herself, and would not be swayed by the lure of power that the Shikon had.

In the end, they found one such being amongst the yōkai, a being by the name of Toga whose title was the Inu no Taishō and who was a just and honourable yōkai. Thus They sent Their daughter to live with him, watching her from afar and knowing that, whilst not preferable to being able to protect Their daughter Themselves by keeping her in the heavens, this was the best possible outcome – especially as Their daughter's spirit was much akin to that of a yōkai, and whilst she was loving, generous, and kind, she had a temper as vast and as volatile as the earth itself was. So it was that three years after her creation, they sent Their daughter to live with the Inu no Taishō and his young son, who valued honour and loathed weakness even more than his father did.

They watched eagerly to see what changes would be wrought simply by adding Their precious Kagome's presence into the world of the House of Taishō.

* * *

Kagome had a watcher. Even if her senses had not been enhanced as those of a yōkai were, she would have been able to tell that the powerful yōkai that was the son of her protector was watching her by his aura alone. She truly did adore Sesshōmaru with all of her heart and soul, he was more precious to her than anything excepting her parents Themselves. Smiling, she decided to be a little bit flashy today, adding potency to the miko-ki that was formed into the shape of arrows, as she pulled the string of her bow back, before letting loose.

Five ki arrows hit their marks, each of them exploding with a soft "whomph" as they hit their targets dead on, right in the centre, the ki dissipating into the air once it was no longer controlled by her person. Smiling, the fifteen year old woman turned around to see Sesshōmaru eyeing her with a calculating look, before he saw fit to gift her with one of his rare grins, flashing a fang as he smirked and confidently stated, "Show off. They only exploded because I came in, didn't they?"

Kagome smiled demurely, lowering her eyes away from the nine year old in front of her in the hopes that he wouldn't force her to answer that question – for one could not lie to inu yōkai, they could scent a lie as well as Kagome herself could both scent it and sense it; deception added a most unpleasant flavour to auras, just as did many other negative things. A ningen would think that with Kagome living amongst yōkai, her senses would always be getting set off, because ningen were short-sighted and stupid creatures, for the most part. It wasn't the case though – at least not amongst the greater yōkai who lived with her guardian. Toga was an honourable man, and thus drew other honourable people to him. Kagome cared not that they were violent, revelled in the hunt, and occasionally experienced blood-lust – they never preyed upon ningen, and were not evil; violence was simply ingrained into their very beings. The Kami, her beloved parents, had created yōkai as well as ningen, so why should she judge them for something they had no control over?

In Kagome's opinion, ningen were far more dangerous than the yōkai that she lived amongst, and far more evil as well. She saw the state that Toga and his guards were usually in when they came back from their sennight long patrols of the Western Lands. That exhaustion and tension was far more often because of evil ningen than it was because of those mindless beasts of the lesser yōkai or malicious and evil greater yōkai. She was probably prejudiced, but the blue eyed tennyo didn't care. Yōkai needed protecting just as much as ningen did, if not more so, despite them generally being far more powerful than most ningen. Those ningen that had spiritual abilities rarely discriminated against good and evil, after all, slaughtering any yōkai they came across.

Sesshōmaru made an impatient noise and Kagome was brought from her thoughts. Damn. She wouldn't be able to wriggle free of his question. Giving off an entirely put-upon sigh, she did her best impression of being irritated – which was a very good impression indeed – and finally conceded. "Fine. Yes, they only exploded because I wished to give you a show. There. Are you happy now, Sesshōmaru?"

He saw through her façade easily, however, and smirked at her again, causing her to flush slightly and turn away in embarrassment. Sesshōmaru might only be nine years of age in _physical_ development – meaning he was one hundred and eighty years old – but yōkai mentally aged like ningen for the first ten years of their lives, making his mental and emotional age closer to nineteen, which was acutely uncomfortable for the tennyo. She desperately loved the son of her guardian, and from how he constantly teased her and watched her, he returned those feelings, but he was still in the body of a child.

Kagome wondered, for a moment, that if she felt this awkward about it, how must Sesshōmaru feel, who had met her when he was eight and she three, and had practically helped raise her? Just because he didn't act awkward about it didn't mean it didn't bother him.

In fact, Sesshōmaru was rather closed off about certain things, so it might bother him a lot and he just didn't see fit to mention things he had no control of.

Before he could answer her, however, there was the sound of feet marching towards them, and Sesshōmaru's smirk disappeared – the new patrol must be back and need her help; this was her private dojo, not the public one that the guards used, so any group of people heading here generally meant injuries that needed healing faster than yōkai could heal themselves: Kagome's ki could purify evil beings, but it could also heal beings as well. Lost in the sounds of marching feet, neither Sesshōmaru nor Kagome heard the flutter of wings or the sounds of beings landing in trees around them as they moved out to the courtyard of her dojo.

Sure enough, the doors to the dojo slid aside, with troops politely asking for her aid as the Inu no Taishō watched on thoughtfully, and Kagome set to healing the various open wounds and breaks they had this time. From their conversations, it seemed they had had a run in with pirates this time around.

Suddenly, as she was healing the last of the yōkai before her, she heard the sound of fluttering wings, and looked around to see where it was coming from – but all of the winged yōkai had left once they were healed, not that many of them had needed healing: they were highly effective against pirates and bandits and could deftly avoid being hit. Sesshōmaru heard the sound as well, and he took up a position in front of her as she turned away from her dojo and out towards the courtyard – some might have laughed, but he was already wicked with a katana and could wield his yōki in the form of acid or poison, not just the liquid but in whip form as well. It was a highly effective weapon.

Without warning, Kagome felt air rushing from behind her, barely missing her as a wing grazed over her ducked body, and she shuddered – that had been a killing blow! Kagome couldn't actually die, but most people didn't know that. Toga moved behind her until Sesshōmaru growled at him, "No! Kagome is _mine_ to protect, Father! They have been waiting for this opportunity for too long and if you interfere you might be punished. The West needs you to rule."

For some reason, although his words made no sense to Kagome, they made Toga subside, and Kagome looked at the yōkai in front of her, who glanced up at a tree that was in the courtyard of her dojo. Kagome followed his gaze and her eyes widened, instinctively recognising one of her fellow tennyo, and another, and another… There were almost two dozen tennyo and tennin resting in the trees in the courtyard, and whilst most of the tennin were eyeing her with interest, some of them and _all_ of her fellow tennyo were looking upon her with either hatred or disgust in their gazes. Kagome's eyes swarmed with unshed tears – she _wouldn't_ give them the satisfaction of seeing that she did care what they thought of her – and they attacked, taking to the air and rushing towards her. Kagome immediately formed a bow out of her ki and began shooting arrows at them, whilst Sesshōmaru attacked, darting back and forth with lightning-quick strikes of his whip that only injured the attackers instead of killing them.

She was glad that even though he was protecting her, he was holding back – they might not like her for whatever reason, but they were still heavenly beings, her sisters and brothers, and she did _not_ wish for the Kami, her beloved parents, to in any way harm Sesshōmaru for protecting her.

Just as the last attacker had fallen to the ground, light shone in the clearing, and one of her mothers was standing there – it was Amaterasu-kā-sama! Sesshōmaru pulled his whip back into himself without a word, but stood in front of Kagome unapologetically, watching the Kami as She walked around the courtyard, touching their attackers and sending them back to heaven. Kagome herself dispersed her ki bow and waited as patiently as Sesshōmaru and Toga were, and although Toga was alert at her back now, Sesshōmaru hadn't said anything – likely because the Kami would have seen the kinds of injuries on the tennyo and tennin, which were acid burns and being knocked out by Kagome's own Shikon-granted purification ki, rather than electrical burns like they would have had if Toga had chosen to attack as well. Luckily, the walls of the dojo had been behind them, so their attackers (aside from the first one) couldn't hit her from that direction. Then again, if they had tried, she simply would have put up a barrier to keep them out and away from her. However from a full-frontal attack, she would not cower or run – Kagome was a warrior, not a messenger, despite the body she was made with.

She'd had that to her advantage today; the tennin and tennyo had not really known how to fight from afar. They did not practise with weapons, they did not have something to protect with all of their beings, they were _nothing_ like Kagome was. She could be grateful to her Kami parents for sending her here where she could learn those all-important things. They had saved her life today and likely would again in the future. Well, okay, mostly it had been her beloved Sesshōmaru who had saved her life, but she couldn't think about that, not when doing so would only terrify her of what the cost of his aid would end up being.

Kagome shouldn't have worried, however, and she immediately relaxed when she saw the sad smile on Amaterasu-kā-sama's face as She turned to them, finally having sent the last of Her children back where they belonged. Her voice echoed into the courtyard, clear and sweet as bells, "Thank you for protecting My daughter, Taishō Sesshōmaru."

He acknowledged her with a tilt of his head, long silver hair flowing to the side as he responded with, "It is my pleasure to protect Kagome, Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama. She brings joy and wonder to our lives. Instead, I should take this opportunity to thank _Y_ _ou_ for entrusting her care to the house of Taishō."

Amaterasu-kā-sama's voice grew mischievous as she said to him, "It would not be the first time you have thanked Me for bringing you Kagome, Sesshōmaru, although it is nice to hear your thanks in person. Kagome has made you far more gracious than you used to be. I do believe the Sesshōmaru I met when I brought Kagome to the Western shiro would have blamed _Me_ for this attack."

Golden eyes slid to half-mast, before closing and then opening again in a tacit acknowledgement of Amaterasu-kā-sama's words, but that was all he did, aside from a tuneless hum. This gave Kagome the opportunity she needed, and she ran forwards toward her mother. Amaterasu-kā-sama opened Her arms immediately, and Kagome buried her head into her mother's collarbone – an inu gesture and a way of silently asking for reassurance. Kagome was given it, as Amaterasu-kā-sama crooned softly to her and rubbed her back. Before she could even ask, she was answered, "You did nothing wrong, My child. The others have been jealous that we did not pick one of them for the task we created you for almost since the moment of your creation, which we found out when all of them refused to have a hand in raising you once you had been weaned. It is not your fault. However, I am best pleased with how you and your protector comported yourself, and so I think… I shall offer a boon."

Kagome stiffened, and made to pull away, because it had been _ingrained_ into her that she absolutely could not make wishes for anything, because if she did, the Shikon residing inside of her body might make them happen and twist them nefariously – but her mother just held her tighter, and said, "Have no fears, little one. Not to you. Rather, instead, to your valiant protector."

Kagome knew when she was being teased, and she blushed, but still turned to look at Sesshōmaru, who took less than a minute before firmly stating, "If I am to receive a boon, then I would ask that my physical age be made to match my mental age, so that I may better protect and claim what is mine to protect and claim."

There was silence for a moment, and Kagome stilled entirely, her heart beating erratically in her chest, a rapid staccato beat that had everything to do with the fact that without saying a word directly to her face, Sesshōmaru had just told her he loved her – and had taken the chance to have anything he wanted in the world and used it as an opportunity to make it so that Kagome did not have to wait centuries to be with him. _He – Sesshōmaru loves me_ _that_ _much?! I would gladly wait for him, and yet…_

Then Amaterasu-kā-sama laughed into the cool autumn air, Her eyes sparkling with mirth and pleasure as she said, "And my headstrong daughter does not even think to protest, except perhaps that she is not worthy of such a thing. I _would_ ask if you are certain, but somehow I think that your heart was conquered by wide blue eyes from the moment you first saw them. I wonder, would you admit to such a thing?"

The entire time She had been speaking, Kagome and Toga had been watching Sesshōmaru shoot up, his body maturing until he looked to be about nineteen years old. When he was finished growing, he smirked to Amaterasu-kā-sama and said, "While at one point in my life, I would have said such a thing is a weakness, my strength won me what my heart was wishing for the most, so I will freely admit that I was a goner from the moment I met the little three year old who insisted on playing with my hair."

Kagome flushed – _hard_. It wasn't just because Sesshōmaru had admitted to having loved her in some way, shape, or form since he had met her; it was the heated look he gave her, the sound of his unavoidably male and incredibly adult voice, the hand he held out, palm up, in a beckoning gesture. Kagome looked up at her mother shyly, to make sure it was okay, and was given a little push with laughing eyes. "I only wish for your happiness, daughter-mine, and I am glad you have found it in someone who is steadfast and loyal, and who will wait for you no matter what happens."

Smiling, she didn't think about what her mother's last words might mean as she took her soon-to-be-mate's hand and was pulled into an embrace that she would have waited her entire life for. There would be no more waiting any more though – not now, not _ever_ , Kagome thought as she was led into the shiro, so happy that she could burst.

When an irritated snarl woke her up that night, she blinked to see blue light beginning to enfold her, and she searched for Sesshōmaru, finding him pinning a clearly infuriated tennin to the wall before he dropped the being and reached out for her. She could not hear him over the rushing of the lights, but she screamed his name anyway as they swept her away from her place in time, and she heard wicked laughter echoing into her ears. "That's what you get for sealing yourself to a yōkai, little Kagome. Let's see if he will still love you when you don't even remember him, bitch! Not that you will actually care by then. Goodbye, pretty little wench."

Kagome blacked out, sobbing with heartbreak. Not for herself, but for her beloved mate, who would clearly be getting the worse end of this curse.

* * *

Amaterasu watched, as her most beloved daughter was cursed by a tainted tennin, as one of her dearest creations howled in anger and agony, and prayed that he had listened to her earlier. _Recognise what I said, Sesshōmaru!_

As the outraged tennin was killed, Sesshōmaru calmed down, and stated into the still air around him, "I will wait forever, Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama. When she returns she will not be alone."

Amaterasu responded, "For loving her and for listening to me, because of your faith, I can weaken the spell surrounding her memories. Not erase it entirely, Sesshōmaru, but she will dream of this life."

He nodded curtly. "I thank You."

And thus set off a cascade of events that led to the fall of the Inu no Taishō, the birth of his second son, and, because fate had been interfered with, the entrance of the Shikon into the world, and the creation of the being called Naraku.

Sesshōmaru watched with hooded eyes as the miko Kikyō – who was a pathetic excuse for a protector – burned her body with the Shikon. She looked so similar to his mate that he had been positive that he had been tested – but he would not betray her for anyone, because no one could compare to her. And so he left the area to wander his lands once more, ignoring his fool of a brother who had gotten himself pinned. He had more important things to do than to try and free the whelp.

Like waiting for his mate to return, and protecting his lands.

* * *

Kagome panted softly as she searched for her cat, Buyo. She'd been looking for ages now, and was exhausted. Admittedly, part of her exhaustion had been due to both the distressing nature of her dream last night and the increasingly stressful lesson about the Shikon no Tama. She knew about the Shikon. After all, hadn't she been having dreams about being its restraining collar and being raised amongst yōkai ever since she was three? And yes, what her dreams informed her of was different than what she had been told of the legends, but, there was this: if her last dream had actually happened, it would have probably set in motion a far different series of events to what she might possibly have lived out for twelve years.

That "might possibly" was only there because Kagome did not feel as if she were anything or anyone special, really. The stability, regularity, and frequency of her dreams was wearing away at her, though. And really, they had always affected her – witness her refusal to _ever_ wish for _anything_. Wishes were almost terrifying to her. Wishes, to Kagome, were _dangerous_. Her family had never quite understood her feelings on the subject, except for her grandpa, who always just nodded wisely when she said that wishes had power. Grandpa was probably her favourite family member, if only because he had started telling her about the Kami and yōkai from the moment she first articulated one of her dreams to him. Kagome was pretty sure that he thought her dreams were of a past life, although last night's dream had thoroughly debunked that idea. It wasn't a previous life if she hadn't actually died.

Sighing, she finally heard a "meow", and called out to her pet, "Buyo?"

She followed the sounds answering her calls to the creepy old well house, and opened the door. She peeked in, and was inexorably pulled until she was at the lip of the well, something in her chest telling her that she was _meant_ to be here.

Kagome was more startled than shocked when the lid covering the well burst open as soon as she touched it, and she instinctively used her knowledge from her dreams to force her heretofore unacknowledged miko-ki into her hands, purifying the strange-looking yōkai that had been poised to attack her. Pink. Her ki was pink, just like in her dreams. Her dreams were real. Kagome wasn't ningen. Unbidden, her left shoulder began to throb, and she remembered her dream, remembered the mating bite, remembered the blue—wait; the well was glowing blue. The well. That was how she got back!

There was no doubt in her mind that Sesshōmaru was waiting for her, wherever he was, and that alone gave her the courage to leap into the blue light that was filling the bottom of the well where water would normally be. That alone kept her still as she was enveloped, and that alone steadied her when she landed in the well, afternoon sunlight pouring into it instead of it being dark out due to there being a well house there. She took in a deep breath and her knees weakened at the fresh cleanliness of the air as her senses all immediately became more acute, as memories – _memories_ , they weren't just dreams – crowded her mind, as she felt her mating bond come to life and pull at her.

Sesshōmaru would feel it too though, and unlike her, he had a swift method of transportation – Kagome could travel fast, but she couldn't _fly_. She hadn't learned how to use her wings yet. Mokomoko-sama and yōki enabled Sesshōmaru to fly. However, being inside of a well was awfully inconvenient, so Kagome climbed out of it, grateful beyond words that her dreams meant she had a preference for traditional clothing, and that interference from her grandpa meant she had a special dispensation to wear it even at school. No indecently short skirts and cleavage-showing shirts for Kagome.

Once she had hefted herself up, however, Kagome felt something… familiar. A sealing arrow, if the resonance she was feeling was right. She curiously made her way to it, and gasped when she saw the hanyō pinned to the Goshinboku – this boy was Toga's son, she would bet her soul on it. He might know where Sesshōmaru was or how to contact him! However, he had also been sealed to the tree for a reason, so she did not touch the sealing arrow – she was so powerful it would immediately dissipate if she did that. Instead she hovered her hand over the arrow, weakening the strength of it just enough that the hanyō would be able to speak to her. As he groggily woke up from his sleep, she rapidly started firing questions at him. "Hey! I'm Kagome, what is your name? Your father was Taishō Toga, the Inu no Taishō, wasn't he? You half-brother is Sesshōmaru, right?"

The hanyō stared at her, then bleakly said, "Kikyō? What – why are you askin' me all this shit you already know?"

Kagome frowned at being called by somebody else's name, and firmly stated, "Look, I don't know who the hell this "Kikyō" person is, but I am _not_ her. My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me. I'm asking you because it is imperative for me to get to Sesshōmaru as fast as possible – he's probably already on his way but I'd rather be able to meet him halfway than to make him travel from wherever he lives all the way here without even knowing that. So can you tell me or help me or not?"

This hanyō, however, it appeared, was a bit stupid and slow. "Whaddaya mean, Kikyō? You know I hate that asshole. Why would you be askin' me to help you find him? Especially after _you_ sealed me here! You hafta be Kikyō, only she could undo the seal on me."

Seriously? This person – who _still_ hadn't told her his name – was really hopeless. Growling in a frustrated manner, she put her wrist up to his nose – the _back_ of her wrist, as the inside was a vulnerable place, and she didn't want to risk getting injured there. "Look, just take a damn sniff and find out for yourself. I. Am. Not. This. Kikyō. Person! As I stated before – and you so _rudely_ ignored – my name is Kagome. It's not that hard to say. Ka-go-me. If you call me Kikyō even one more time I will purify you so hard you are ningen for _days_."

He inhaled as ordered and his eyes widened almost comically. She rapidly took her hand away from his person as she did _not_ want his scent – which wasn't the most pleasant thing – on her person when Sesshōmaru arrived. It really wasn't a surprise, however, when the first words out of his mouth after taking in her scent were, "You're not a ningen, even though you look it. And you're definitely not Kikyō – but then how could you weaken the seal?"

She shrugged unselfconsciously, lifting her hand away to show the pink Shikon-granted miko-ki that she had. Kagome was now herself more than ever, and accepted what she was with ease and grace, as she had been raised to do her first time existing on this planet. "I'm a tennyo. Now, are you _done_ being rude? What is your name, and do you know how to get a hold of Sesshōmaru?"

His eyes bulged even more at her pronouncement, before his ears dropped back some, and he said, "Name's Inuyasha. Yeah, that guy was my dad, fat lot of good it did me when he died after I was born – hey, why're you cryin'?"

The man who had been as close to a father to her as it was possible for a mortal to get was _dead_. Gone. Oh, Sesshōmaru probably couldn't _stand_ Inuyasha if he'd had even the slightest connection with the reason that Toga was dead. Considering he was a hanyō, that was probably why Sesshōmaru treated him in such a way as to be called an asshole by his half-brother. Kagome knew that Sesshōmaru had been vastly different to other people than he had been to her. Cold, aloof, disdainful, self-contained. "Toga raised me. I am sad that he is dead, okay? Just because he died – probably _protecting you_ considering that you are a hanyō – and you never got to know him does not mean that those of us who did know him do not mourn his passing. You are very selfish, has anybody told you that?"

"I have; repeatedly. The hanyō did not take it well."

Sesshōmaru! That _sneak_! Sometime since she had been forcibly ejected from his side he had learned how to suppress his yōki and hide his scent. Well, Kagome wasn't ashamed of anything she had done, and when she whirled around to where his voice was coming from, she saw what was in his eyes – restrained, masked, but Kagome had always been able to see beyond the masks. He still considered her his. He still loved her. He had waited for her, for who knew how many years – the hanyō was around her age, meaning it had been at least a hundred and fifty years, but she didn't know how long he had been sealed for or when Toga had taken up with a ningen female, so it was probably a good bit longer than that.

Not caring about their audience, she threw herself at him, wings bursting from her back for the first time so she could reach him in the tree he was observing them from. "Sesshōmaru! I dreamed of you. Every single night starting from when I was three. It hurt so much to think that none of it was real, that it was all just some fantasy or a past life, but then I remembered the night we got separated and then a centipede yōkai attacked me on the shrine I lived on from the well and I had to use ki I didn't even think I had in order to stop her, and I saw those blue lights again coming from the bottom of the well and knew they would lead me back to you so I jumped and as soon as I got here – in the bottom of the well in the clearing just there – the memories came back full force and I remembered everything with perfect clarity."

He was growling almost inaudibly to her – not _at_ her – a soft, comforting growl, even though _sh_ _e_ should be the one comforting _him_. However that would not happen with his clearly much-disliked half-brother there watching them, so she sent her ki at the arrow and strengthened the seal until he was asleep again, then leaned up to kiss her mate on the lips. "I am _so sorry_ , Sesshōmaru. I came back the moment I got a chance, but you had to wait so long and it must have _hurt_ an-"

She was shut up – probably a good thing – with a kiss that was so gentle and sweet that it made her cry, as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and he pulled away to look at her, his eyes no longer restrained and masked, but passion infused molten gold swirling around as he growled huskily to her, "Do not expect me to ever allow you to leave my side for two centuries, at _least_."

So that was how long she had been gone. That meant… five hundred years right now, but seven hundred from then… Kagome desperately rushed out, "Please tell me you killed him. I got sent into the future, five hundred years from the time we are currently in, which means seven hundred years from our mating night and anybody that powerful-"

She was kissed again, this time more passionate, with a vicious – but victorious – growl lacing through it. "I killed him as soon as you had fully disappeared. And then swore to Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama that I would wait for you for as long as it took."

Suddenly her _true_ mother was beside them, and Sesshōmaru let her go so that she could throw herself into those always-comforting arms of Amaterasu-kā-sama. "Oh, Amaterasu-kā-sama, _thank you_. You're the only person who could have weakened it – I wasn't supposed to remember anything, but I still had the dreams, so _thank you so much_ , Amaterasu-kā-sama!"

She hummed comfortingly to Kagome, informing her, "It was on the strength of your mate's faith that you would return to him that I was able to use my abilities to weaken that part of the spell, Kagome-mine. But you are welcome, daughter. What do you intend to do now?"

Kagome knew what she meant – in the future, she was still in school, and had a ningen family who had raised her that she was very fond of… But – and this was an enormous but – Sesshōmaru was her entire _life_. She refused to stay in the future without him, and she would not subject him to the hiding he would be forced into if he were to live there permanently with her. Not to mention, once she hit her full maturity in a few more years, Kagome would simply stop ageing, as Sesshōmaru clearly had. So she thought, breathing steadily, before she asked her mother, "Would the mating bond allow me to take Sesshōmaru back with me to visit them so that I would have proof that I am not insane, Amaterasu-kā-sama?"

Her creator nodded gently, "Yes it would, My child."

She nodded then, looking at Sesshōmaru and asking him, "Would you? They raised me for fifteen years, and deserve a goodbye, but I do not wish to stay in the future, I wish to stay in the past, with you. That way we can get used to things developing as they develop. Not to mention… I have this _feeling_ – deep inside – that I have a job to do here. That there is something that needs taken care of and I am the person to do that."

Sesshōmaru smirked at her, flashing a fang and making her knees weaken at the sight – it was _beautiful_ – before stating, "I would like to be able to thank them for raising and protecting you so that you could come back to me, my Kagome."

She blushed and fidgeted lightly, her fingers going to her obi and playing with the edge of it, until Amaterasu-kā-sama spoke to her again, "There is a very vile spider hanyō by the name of Naraku seeding chaos through these lands, Kagome. He must be defeated, especially as it was his lust for the Shikon that got the miko protecting it fifty years ago killed and Inuyasha sealed. He manipulated them, and is rather terrifyingly powerful – but nowhere near as powerful as either you or Sesshōmaru; or both of you, should you combine your attacks. However he will be difficult to pin down, and you will need aid from others in your quest."

She looked at Sesshōmaru at that, and Kagome saw him shrug a shoulder, stating blandly, "I have missed having a pack, small though mine was before Father got himself killed. I do not mind it."

Kagome could tell that he was _very_ unused to speaking in first person – ever since Toga died he must have never had a single person to be so informal with, and had likely been referring to himself as "this Sesshōmaru", or "this one" for two centuries now. Her poor beloved… He must have been so lonely and closed off. Well, Kagome would change _that_. Then she looked around at the darkening sky around them and sighed. "I don't want to go back, but they will definitely have missed me by now. Shall we get this over with, then?"

Her mother and her mate both nodded, and Amaterasu-kā-sama disappeared, leading Sesshōmaru to pick her up and leap down from the tree, heading towards the well she had used to get here. She snuggled into his chest – cursing his armour the entire time, which he seemed to find at least moderately amusing, if what she felt through the bond was accurate – until they reached it, at which point he set her down and looked towards her with a raised eyebrow. Even though it had been less than a full day that he had had this form when she last saw him, she had to admit she felt far more comfortable with it and that it suited him far more than his child-form ever had. His adult expressions had always looked out of place on his body until he grew up to be with her without her having to wait the usually necessary centuries. Sighing, she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his. There was no blue light this time around, but her instincts told her it would appear as they approached the bottom of the well. So, steeling herself, she said, "Now we jump. As a warning, it smells absolutely noxious over there. If you can dull your senses, you should do it now."

She proceeded to dull her own senses, and felt his yōki rising to do the same for him. Then, completely in sync with each other, they leapt into the well. Sure enough, before they got to the bottom, that blue light enfolded the two of them, and soon enough they were at the bottom of the well in her previous time. The well house meant it was almost completely dark, but it didn't bother either one of them – they could both see perfectly well in dark or dim conditions. The smell was still terrible, but not so overpowering that she couldn't think, and she sighed softly, worry starting to creep in. She had always been a little distant with her mama and her little brother, mostly because the dreams and her insistence on wearing kimono and hakama instead of normal clothes made her more incomprehensible to them, but she would truly miss her supportive grandpa.

Sesshōmaru felt her worry and squeezed her hand, before picking her up and leaping out of the well, landing close to the closed doors. "I will not leave you, koishi. It will be fine."

Steeling herself, Kagome nodded, and they stepped out into the late afternoon/early evening dusk. It was almost November, and the sun was setting earlier each day. The presence of her mate helped keep Kagome steady as she led him to the front door of her one-time (had it really only been today that she left?) home, knocked on it, and opened it, gesturing for Sesshōmaru to remove his boots and slide into a pair of the slippers they kept for guests. He did so without protest, his eyes looking around curiously at her former home. She had always loved his intense curiosity, had adored the trait that both father and son had carried within them. "Mama? Sōta? Grandpa? Are you home?"

A flurry of noise met her ears, and soon the ningen family that had raised her for the past fifteen years were standing in front of her, and staring quite boldly at Sesshōmaru – well, Mama and Sōta were staring; grandpa had given him one contemplative and determined look and then clearly immediately connected the obvious yōkai standing next to her with the daiyōkai from her dreams. Thankfully, Grandpa took charge. "Come in, come in. Looks t' me like you've some story to tell us, Kagome. You were rather distressed this morning and even more so after school, so why don't you start with that and then just work your way on down to how you found your yōkai again."

Kagome smiled gratefully at him, relief flooding through her as she was given a place to start with all the things that in this time would be considered insanity. So, once everyone was seated and had a cup of tea in front of them, Kagome began to speak. First she told Grandpa – she was talking directly to him, because he was the one who understood her the best – about her dream this morning. Then she went onto their class talking about the Shikon, and how it had stressed her out because it contradicted her dreams up until this morning. Then she went onto Buyo having gotten lost outside, her search for him, and how it led to the well house. Next she described her urge to touch the well, the centipede yōkai and how she had instinctively destroyed it before it could do any harm, her sudden perception of her mating bond and short realisation that the dreams were likely real, and her taking a leap of faith into the blue light that was so similar to her dream, trusting that it would take her to where her mate was.

Here she paused, because her mama and little brother were staring open-mouthed at her, so she allowed them to collect themselves, and then she explained the pull from the bond, how all of her memories had come back and that she had finally fully accepted that the dreams were memories of who she really was, deep down, rather than flight of fancy or a previous life. Then she described – very tersely – the encounter with Inuyasha, meeting Sesshōmaru again, meeting her creator again, and the knowledge that she had a duty to do in the past, finishing off with, "I love you all so much, I really do. You have raised me, kept me safe, and supported me even when you didn't really understand me. But Sesshōmaru… Sesshōmaru is my _life_. My other half. And he has waited for me for two centuries. All alone, waited for me to come back to him."

Tears were leaking down her face now, and it was all she could do not to sob at that thought again, at the mere idea of her mate having to suffer for so long without her, and he began growling comfortingly to her yet again, pulling her into his side. She hid her face in his haori until she composed herself some, and took a deep breath. "I can't really die. Neither can Sesshōmaru. So I'm going to stay in the past, and come visit you when I have lived to this time. Probably even this very day. I'll be older, and I'll have lived a very long time indeed, but it will still be me, and I will still love you because you are still my family."

Unsurprisingly, Grandpa nodded firmly at this, and his acceptance seemed to push Mama and Sōta into agreeing as well. "It's really the only thing you _can_ do, love, so we understand, and you will still always be our Kagome."

The acceptance from her ningen mama almost made her cry again, but she didn't – she had already cried too much today. She wasn't going to do so any more. Especially because Sesshōmaru had always hated it when she was in tears. Granted, before she had grown taller than him, he had always comforted her those rare times she cried, but once she had grown taller than him his dislike had grown in severity. From the comfort and love he was sending her through the bond… it felt like his dislike had lessened, however. Maybe because he was tall enough to easily comfort her again? She wasn't sure. She would ask him about it. Maybe.

Finally, after eating one last meal with her family – oden, her favourite! – they leapt back down the well for the final time. Kagome had brought a backpack with her of things she wanted to keep – a few changes of clothes that had been birthday presents today, since she wasn't sure when they would have the time to buy her some yōkai clothing; some photographs of her family, and one of her as a child that Sesshōmaru had lingered near for a time; travel rations that wouldn't spoil (Kagome used to go camping in one of the caves in the forest behind her house, and never knew when the urge to do so would come upon her, so always kept travel rations around); a tea kettle and some tea; a comb and some toiletries (again, Kagome didn't know when they would have time to resupply with yōkai-made soap and shampoo, since they had a duty that came before their own comfort – her own bottles were new and full); and two all-weather sleeping bags. One would be too small for the both of them, but if she zipped two of them together it would be just like sharing a bedroll.

Kagome was too exhausted to do much of anything except make camp in the dim clearing around the well: easily finding stones to make a ring for a fire to be contained in, seeking out twigs and branches for kindling (whilst Sesshōmaru searched for good, dry branches to keep it going with), setting out the sleeping bags and zipping one atop the other, and using some flint and steel that Sesshōmaru kept on him to start the kindling going. He came back once it was cheerfully aflame, and she smiled tiredly at him from her place by the fire when he immediately began to build the fire up and place a pile of branches next to it for easy reach. Then he moved to sit by her after taking his armour off and stashing it in some bushes. It was beginning to get chilly out, and Sesshōmaru picked her up and slid her into the sleeping bag, getting in next to her once she was settled and pulling her against him.

She snuggled into his warm body as he told her, "Sleep, precious. We can talk more in the morning, but for now you need to rest. You have had a difficult day."

Kagome wasn't about to fight him on that, so she closed her eyes and immersed herself in the love he was sending her from the mating bond, sending her own love back to him and drifting off into the first truly settled sleep she had had since she was three.

* * *

Kagome woke up warm, happy, and content, being inundated with love from her mating bond and blearily snuggling closer to the yōkai that belonged to _her_ as she sleepily sent love right back to him. She felt him shift around her, pulling her closer to his chest as he rumbled out a content, pleased growl at the possessiveness he could feel coming from her. Her claiming him as boldly as he had claimed her clearly pleased him, and she snuggled closer to him so that he would hold her tighter, which he promptly did, and Kagome sighed in utter contentment as she murmured quietly to him, "Mmnh, morning Sesshōmaru. I love you. This isn't a dream, right? I'm not going to wake up and have it all disappear?"

He rumbled to her again, and she felt him shake his head as he responded to her, "This is not a dream, Kagome. You belong to this Sesshōmaru and he will never let you go."

Kagome opened her eyes and leaned up so that Sesshōmaru could catch her glare, "Don't ever speak to me like that again! No more, "this Sesshōmaru" or "this one" when you speak to me, _even if_ there are other people around. You never used them to me growing up and I'll not have you using them to me ever again, and I don't care if you are worried about offending someone because you speak formally to them and not to me. I am your _mate_ , and you have every right to be able to lower your guard around me."

Sesshōmaru raised an eyebrow at her bold speech, before giving her a soft smile that was so sweet it melted her heart. "As you wish, Kagome. I will do my best to get back into the habit of first person speech, at least to you."

She eyed him suspiciously and he chuckled softly, "I promise, mate. Although, we do have company. My half-brother is awake and listening in."

That stopped Kagome in her tracks. "Wait, what? How the- How did he get down? Or wake up? Ugh I don't wanna deal with this right now, Sesshōmaru, can't you make him go away for now?"

His voice was filled with rueful amusement as he stated, "The hanyō goes where he wishes and does what he pleases, and will not listen to anyone around him."

Kagome heard an irritated grumble from a few feet away and growled back to the noise, her own voice every last bit as irritated. "It's _rude_ to spy. Seriously, you are a very rude being. You need to learn some manners, Inuyasha."

The hanyō sighed, and grumbled softly to her, "Look, I just – when you woke me up you learned some shit, and I did too, and I thought maybe you could help me."

She sighed and buried her face in Sesshōmaru's chest, knowing that the hiding place of Tessaiga had been found out by Inuyasha, and he wanted it. He wouldn't be able to use it though – not unless Kagome or Sesshōmaru taught him… Hmm… "Give us a bit to talk, so I can make a more informed decision. You are aware that you wouldn't even be able to use it properly without ningen to protect, right?"

Sesshōmaru stiffened around her, and she placed a hand on his chest, causing him to relax minutely. He knew what she was talking about now, and was probably very much not happy with finding this out – however she could fix that easily. Sesshōmaru didn't _need_ the Tessaiga – it would just weaken him. Inuyasha replied, "And that if I lose it it'd be bad for everyone. But he offered, before, to teach me…"

Kagome huffed and propped herself up on one of her elbows, looking in the direction of Inuyasha's voice until she saw him, crouched in a tree across the clearing. "You were stupid to turn his offer down, I hope you know that."

The hanyō immediately protested, and Kagome felt hopelessness at his idiotic misunderstanding of his brother, "He woulda taken me away from my mom, and she's the only person who ever loved me!"

"If you had just _asked_ , he would have given you the lessons wherever the hell you wanted them. That's what pack _does_ , and that's what he was offering you, to make you pack and give you his protection. You turned him away, turned him down, denied him a chance to have a pack with his family, and _you_ call _him_ the asshole? He's not the jerk around here. It doesn't matter if you were just a kid, and it doesn't matter that you didn't want to permanently be with someone who didn't love you yet – firstly it's impossible to love someone you don't know, and secondly, you made horrible assumptions about someone who was offering you something that made them _vulnerable_ to your words and actions. Go away before I zap you something fierce. I'll find you when I can stand to talk to you again."

She could feel her mate's upset and agitation through the bond, and she wanted to calm him down and soothe him, which couldn't be done with his half-brother nearby. She was pretty satisfied that her words had struck home to the hanyō however, who was looking at Sesshōmaru with regret in his eyes and colouring his aura before he jumped into another tree and headed deeper into the forest. As soon as she could no longer hear his progress through the trees, she nuzzled under Sesshōmaru's chin with an apologetic whine, because he probably hadn't wanted Inuyasha to know some of the things she had told him. He'd _needed_ to know them though, so even though she _was_ sorry for baring her mate's actions like that, she didn't regret doing so. Sesshōmaru seemed to understand, because he sighed and pulled her closer to him again with an accepting growl. She slid back to where she had been when she woke up, resting her cheek against his chest as she explained what she had learned yesterday to him.

"Toga hid Tessaiga inside of Inuyasha. But without Tessaiga, Toga's blood overpowers the blood of his partner, and would turn Inuyasha into a raging beast. I think it would be beneficial to teach him how to use a sword, assuming he is willing to apologise to you, which I think he will do on his own, now. I know that would mean him travelling with us, which I don't really want, even though I know he probably needs it. I'm not going to ask you to do this. That's your choice alone and no longer any of my business now that he knows how he wronged you. But I will say this: do you really need or want Tessaiga when you could probably just as easily kill a hundred beings with one swing of your whip? Inuyasha doesn't really have the capability to defend himself beyond what it took to keep alive. You, on the other hand, are innately powerful."

Sesshōmaru took in her words, and after a moment of contemplation, sighed softly, running one of his hands through her hair. "You are right, on both counts, mate. I do not need the Tessaiga, and he does. As well, it is time for me to put aside his past actions and start over again. _If_ he apologises. Thank you, Kagome, for making him understand what his rejection did to me. He did need to know, and I would never have been able to tell him on my own."

Not because Sesshōmaru wasn't strong, but because Sesshōmaru wasn't the kind of person to give others second chances. If they harmed him or his, that was _it_. It was over. He wasn't exactly a forgiving kind of person, which was one reason that he and Kagome were so well-suited. Kagome knew that at times she was too forgiving of others, and he helped her see when her forgiving nature was taking things too far, while at the same time she helped him to temper his unforgiving nature by showing him when a mistake was just a mistake and not something to be held against someone else for the rest of eternity. Of course, over the time of their interactions with one another they had both learned more about how to temper their own reactions, but there really was only so much one could do about changing their own innate nature. Subtle shifts were one thing, drastic changes another entirely.

Kagome leaned up and kissed him, soft and sweet, before pulling away slightly. She giggled when he sent her a heated look and asked her, understanding her action, "And why should I let go of you before I am ready, little mate?"

She kissed him again and said softly, "Because I am hungry, and so are you. Besides, the fire needs built up again so I can make some tea because I am thirsty and don't want water."

Sesshōmaru hummed and after a few moments he released her, allowing Kagome to slide out of the sleeping bags and stand up. She stretched as she stood, sighing softly and walking over to the fire. It was just coals now, glowing in the dim of the early – _very_ early – morning darkness, and she swiftly arranged them with a branch before positioning more dry branches into a cone so that they would burn more easily. Then she went to the trees around the camp and concentrated on calling her wings out – yesterday it had been instinctive, due to her need, and when her need had left they had also disappeared. Now she needed to learn how to use them instinctively _without_ wanting them desperately. Luckily, it seemed rather simple, and she called them out without too much trouble, flying up into a tree and using her wings to help her rise and lower so that she could seek out the right kind of branches.

After a short time, she had in her possession two Y-shaped sticks and a longer straight stick, so she flew back down to the fire, which was now burning merrily, and dug the Y-shaped sticks into the earth on either side of it, right up against the stones. Then she went to her backpack and dug through it until she reached the tea kettle, taking it and going into the forest. She used her sense of smell to guide her to the stream, then filled up her tea kettle and soaked the straight stick so it wouldn't burn. Following that, she went back to camp, easily ignoring Inuyasha as she passed him sitting in a tree. He was clearly lost in thought, and she wasn't ready to talk to him yet. Kagome hoped he was seeing whatever encounters he had had with Sesshōmaru after his denial in a different light now. Sighing, she entered the well clearing once more and walked over to the fire, stringing the handle of her kettle onto the damp stick and placing it in the hollows of the other branches.

Now that that was taken care of, she pulled out her set of ceramic tea cups, and set them aside as she pulled out a bag of home made trail mix (granola, pretzels, cashews, peanuts, dried cranberries, raisins, dried blueberries, and chips of dark chocolate), a large bag of several kinds of jerky – both sweet and salty – and the box of green tea bags. Kagome preferred to make her own tea, but that would be inconvenient whilst travelling, so she had settled for pre-bagged tea instead of loose leaf tea. It wasn't as if she was unaware of exactly how long the tea needed to be brewed to keep it from being bitter, after all, whether the tea leaves came in bags or a strainer.

By the time she had all of her things out, the water was heated up about halfway, so she took the large bag of granola and some of the sweet jerky (the salty jerky would be too much for them without something to wash it down with, as unlike dried meat in this time, salt was used to draw out the moisture instead of heat, making it very salty indeed) and headed back to their sleeping area, where Sesshōmaru was observing her, watching her every move as if he would never tire of it. Kagome understood that, however – he had been missing her for two centuries. He was reassuring himself of her presence just as much as she had needed his words earlier to reassure herself of his presence. Kagome slid into his lap and nuzzled against his chest for a short time before she opened the two bags, and they began eating their breakfast. By the time they both finished, Kagome could hear the water boiling softly in the kettle, and she slid out of her mate's lap, placing the empty bags into one of the zipper pockets of her backpack as she grabbed two of the cups she had pulled out – but then she looked at her mate and he nodded silently to her.

Right. It was time. Kagome walked into the forest and called out, "Inuyasha, come back to the clearing, please!"

Then she grabbed a third cup and placed teabags in them all, pulling the tea kettle away from the fire – grateful for the silicone covering the handle of it – and poured the water into the three cups. Inuyasha cautiously entered the clearing halfway through the brewing process, and she beckoned for him to sit across from the sleeping bags. Then she waited for the tea to finish brewing, pulled out the tea bags, and tossed them into the forest – they would decompose into the earth and fertilise the ground beneath them, unlike the plastic bags she kept the granola and jerky in.

She pulled out a package of the regular jerky and grabbed one of the tea cups, handing them to Inuyasha, who took them with a nod of his head. Then she took the other two cups, walked over to Sesshōmaru, and sat in his lap once more, handing him his tea as she held her own loosely between her hands. It would cool down soon but was too hot to drink right now. Inuyasha, while they waited for the tea to cool, began eating the jerky – he surprisingly didn't tear into it like she expected, but ate more properly. Maybe he wasn't as hopeless as she had assumed he was. Even so, she had some rules for him if he ended up travelling with them.

Once the tea had cooled, they all began slowly drinking it, and Kagome sighed when she finished hers, placing it on the sleeping bag beneath her and Sesshōmaru. He placed his cup next to hers when he finished, and then, they looked up – only to see something, well, rather shocking. Inuyasha was seated seiza and bowing his head, his white hair falling to cover his face. After a moment of waiting, he said. "I'm really sorry, Sesshōmaru. For a lot of things, but especially for rejectin' you and being an ass to you."

Sesshōmaru tilted his head with a, "Hn. This Sesshōmaru forgives you, Inuyasha. Would you travel with him as a part of his pack and learn how to use a sword from him?"

Inuyasha seemed to understand what a big deal this was, and after a moment, he said softly, "Thank you. I would appreciate that very much… ani-san."

Kagome looked up in time to see Sesshōmaru blinking in shock, before a tiny smirk graced his face and he firmly stated, "Get up, otōto-kun."

Kagome couldn't help but clap her hands delightedly, but then she was right down to business. "Inuyasha. You spent most of your life around other people being around ningen, right?"

Having gotten into a more comfortable position, seated cross-legged with his head no longer bowed, Inuyasha nodded and asked her, "Yeah. Why?"

 _Thought so. He'll probably have several unpleasant habits to break_. "Because yōkai act very different to ningen, and you are going to have to learn how to comport yourself as a yōkai would, rather than as a half-wild hanyō or as a ningen. I am setting some rules for you travelling with us, and you _will_ obey them or I will zap you, and make it _hurt_."

Inuyasha looked at his brother, then sighed – Kagome looked up only to see Sesshōmaru watching her with amusement clearly visible in both his features and his eyes. She held back a giggle, and looked back to Inuyasha, who said, "Alright. I understand, ane-san."

Kagome was the one blinking now, and smiled happily, before continuing on, "Well, that rather pleases me. Thank you, otōto-kun. Now. Ningen males, frankly, treat their women like trash. As objects. That is not so in yōkai culture. You either call someone by their name, or a respectful or affectionate title, and that is _it_. If I ever catch you calling me, or any other females we might add to our group, "woman", "wench", or any other disrespectful term, you will get zapped for it. Secondly, yōkai bathe regularly. Ningen avoid bathing until they are completely filthy, but yōkai have sensitive noses, especially canine and feline species. _Every time_ we camp by a body of water, you will be cleaning yourself up. I'm not trying to be insulting, but frankly you stink, and not knowing you, I do not know how much of that is due to your habits and how much of that is due to your being sealed to the Goshinboku for all of those years.

"Thirdly, and most importantly, in a pack of any kind hierarchy is _very important_. Sesshōmaru is your senior, your superior, and your alpha. If he orders you to do something, you _do it_ , unless it is morally repugnant to you, and in that case you explain yourself before you disobey the order. The same goes for myself, as because I am mated to Sesshōmaru that makes me the alpha female of the pack. Right now you are beta, and if we get other members who are weaker than you you will keep that position, but if you are caught abusing your power your status will be revoked. Again, I don't know you, so I'm not assuming you would do such a thing, just warning you and letting you know the rules and how things work."

Her brother-in-law nodded firmly, "I'll do my best, Kagome, and not complain if I mess up and get punished for it. I wouldn't call you any of those things anyhow, since you're a tennyo and it'd be really disrespectful to the Kami, but you're right and it'd be harder with other people. I think you looking ningen will help though."

Kagome smiled and cuddled closer to Sesshōmaru, who wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Inuyasha laughed, and shook his head, making Kagome peer curiously at him as he said, "Look at you. To think I always called you an icicle and you're clearly thawed around her. You treat ane-san so differently to how you always treat anyone else."

She smiled softly at those words. Sesshōmaru had never been closed off and cold to her, but she had seen how he interacted with others and knew that "Icicle," as rude as it was, was honestly pretty accurate for a summation of his treatment of others. "Hn. Once you get to know her, you will find that it impossible for anyone who is not an enemy to treat Kagome in any sort of negative manner. Her capacity for love and understanding is, frankly, staggering."

That had Kagome flustered and blushing, so she buried her face in her mate's haori and held tighter to him, willing her face to stop heating up. Inuyasha, on the other hand, just laughed again and said, "Looks like somebody here has a different opinion of that."

She felt Sesshōmaru shaking his head as he ran clawed fingers through her long black hair, and he said, "It is not disagreement so much as it is modesty and humility. Kagome has never thought herself to be above anyone else in such a manner, or that she was special beyond certain obvious things."

Inuyasha's voice was curious as he asked, "Like what?"

Sesshōmaru hummed lightly, before speaking, "She easily accepts the fact that she is a tennyo and treats Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami-sama just as she would a regular mother, and easily accepts that she was created for the sole purpose of keeping the Shikon no Tama restrained by housing it inside of her body. However, she does _not_ easily accept praise of her personality or compliments over her physical appearance."

Kagome peeked at Inuyasha, who saw her watching him and raised an eyebrow, "Usually someone as beautiful as you would be awfully vain about their appearance, ane-san. Even the miko I thought you were was well aware of how beautiful she was, and while she never accepted the proposals she got from other people, they never flustered her or nothin' like that."

His blatant words had Kagome squeaking, blushing hard – _again_ – and hiding her face back into her mate's chest, huffing as he laughed at her actions. "My humble little mate. Get used to it, as I do not intend to hold back on giving you praise or compliments when I feel you deserve them, precious."

Kagome whined disconsolately at that – it wasn't _fair_! She was being ganged up on now! Her mate felt the tone of her emotions and laughed again, pulling her face up toward his so that he could kiss her passionately. Soon Kagome had completely forgotten her upset, and was lost in a haze of desire for her mate. He managed to calm down her lust by gentling and softening his kiss, until he finally pulled away with a few light nips of his fangs upon her lower lip. His golden eyes were burning as he met her gaze, and she flushed – this time with pleasure – boldly meeting his eyes and reaching her hands up to run her fingers through his hair and scratch at his scalp. He growled in contentment, his eyes closing with a soft sigh, and she nuzzled under his chin. After a while of playing with her mate's hair, she softly said, curious as to the silence, "I'm surprised that-"

She was smoothly interrupted, "Ah; Inuyasha left shortly into the kiss. This one thinks that will be frequent if we are camped somewhere – the person he had intended to mate before she pinned him to Goshinboku looked very much like you, the only exception being that her hair was straight, instead of wavy, and her eyes were near-black, instead of blue."

"Oh," she responded, before continuing with, "Hm, somehow it doesn't surprise me much that you both have similar taste in women."

Kagome could practically feel him raising an eyebrow at that and giggled softly, "What?"

He responded dryly, "Well, as a matter of fact, they were enemies to begin with – he lusted after the Shikon, wishing to make himself a yōkai, but over time they fell in love. Or at least, he did. Kikyō never ceased asking him to instead wish himself into being ningen."

She nodded softly, "You're right. Kikyō didn't really love him if she couldn't accept him as he was. They would have ended up very unhappy together."

They snuggled together in silence for a few moments before Inuyasha came back into the camp, and Kagome smiled sympathetically at him, but he spoke before she could say anything, "You don't gotta apologise for anythin' ane-san. It's hard, but I'm tough. It'll just take some time to get usedta things. I didn't really know her for very long, compared to how long I've been alive, and she… Well… I heard, what you were sayin'… You're prolly right. I never thought about it like that. It wasn't like you tellin' Sesshōmaru earlier how he hadta speak to you, since that's honestly for his own good. It was… her wantin' that was always about _her_. About how if I really loved her, I'd give up bein' what I was born. Not because it'd be better for me or make me happier."

Kagome thought for a moment about how she should answer that, before softly saying, "I know that it will be difficult for you to accept this, as I am well aware of how both species treat many hanyō… but being a yōkai would not have made you any happier at that point in your life. If you were born such, it would have made your life very different, and probably much more pleasant, yes – but _becoming_ such would have done to you what not having Tessaiga will do to you. You would have been unable to comprehend and control your instincts, and would have ended up killing anyone around you that you were capable of killing until someone stronger than you permanently stopped you."

She didn't need to state that "permanently stopped" meant killed; it was blatantly obvious. At the mention of that, he nodded, "I know that now. By the way… what're we gonna do about that? I mean, I want it, but what if I lose it? And I can't use it to its potential anyway, from what we learned yesterday."

Kagome nodded back to him and said, "It is still an exceptionally strong and perfectly serviceable sword, even if you can never become able to access the attacks it has and can be taught to have. Tessaiga is very sharp and powerful even without the yōki-based attacks. Better than any normal sword we could find you – a normal sword cannot cut through bone, after all."

"That reminds me, koishi, I need to have a Fang created for you to use. Hn. However, Tōtōsai has, in the past, been highly unwilling to create a sword for me."

She just laughed softly at her mate – he seemed to have forgotten some things. "Ah, but Tōtōsai was _very_ fond of me, remember, Sesshōmaru? Somehow I do not think he will even put up a token fuss when he finds out the Fang is for myself, rather than for you. What will you have it be?"

He made an acknowledging noise to her first comment, and then hummed at her second query. "Tōtōsai can only craft swords; however the property of the fang used to create the weapons can change the properties of it in ways that Tōtōsai cannot affect. Tessaiga has the ability for many different forms based upon its abilities. Therefore I ought to be able to have a Fang crafted for you that will become whichever weapon you need for it to be, although its base form will likely be a sword – you should be able to change it to suit whatever permanent form you wish it to take."

That made sense. "Well, okay then! Shall we go fetch Tessaiga then? After that we can seek out Tōtōsai."

Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha nodded, and she informed them of what had to be done. Things went rather smoothly after that.

* * *

They had spent three days in the clearing around the well, Sesshōmaru having decided to summon Tōtōsai rather than travel to see him if it could be helped – but that seemed to be asking too much, as Tōtōsai had not shown up; so last night they had decided to travel to his mountain forge, where he had likely hidden himself in hopes that it would be too much trouble for Sesshōmaru to try and get to him there. Considering the scope of the trip they were planning to embark upon, Sesshōmaru had decided to sleep last night, so when Kagome woke up to hearing a young voice pleading, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't punish me!" she looked up at her mate, who blinked sleepily at her in acceptance of her unspoken wish.

The only reason someone would be saying that to Inuyasha would be because they were caught stealing something. The punishment for stealing amongst yōkai was severe – having a hand or an arm cut off, which took anywhere from several decades to over a century to regrow. Someone had taught their child well, but that someone had to be dead. She looked over at Inuyasha, who, as she sat up, she saw holding a small kitsune kit who looked to be around seven – and who looked _familiar_ – by his top. Inuyasha huffed out a "Keh." before plopping down and looking over at her, with a respectful, "Ane-san?"

Kagome held her arms out as she looked at him, and he walked over and dropped the kitsune into her lap. At first she crooned softly to the little kit, but when it didn't help she tugged his hair out of its ponytail, began grooming him, and changed her croon to a growl that was meant for comfort and reassurance. Kitsune and inu languages were incredibly similar – the only difference was that kitsune yipped instead of barking: the growls and whines, however, were _identical_. She had done the right thing, she felt, as the kitsune stopped trembling in her lap and immediately relaxed into her ministrations. Kagome was doubly pleased when she felt Sesshōmaru snake an arm around her waist and pull both her and the little kit into his own lap, the arm that had been around her waist immediately moving to groom the young boy's tail as he joined in her growling. Inuyasha was looking at them a bit wistfully, but before she could say anything, Sesshōmaru rumbled out, "Inuyasha, come help me with his tail."

Kagome turned to kiss Sesshōmaru sweetly, then returned to her task. When she felt satisfied with her job, she re-tied his hair up, and softly asked him, "What is your name, little one? And was your father called Daichi?"

Wide green eyes looked into hers, and Kagome immediately fell in love with the tiny kitsune, as he tremulously responded, "S-shippō… and y-yes, but, he… he's dead now."

Daichi had been a good friend of Toga's, the only daiyōkai kitsune in the Western Lands, which would explain why a kitsune so young was capable of having a nearly fully humanoid form – he was too young yet to hide his tail, but usually kitsune tended towards anthropomorphism until they were around fourteen or fiifteen – he only had foot-paws instead of feet, but other than that and his tail, one would not have been able to tell his breed of yōkai. That was very strong, indeed. Her mate changed his growl to one even more aimed at comfort, as Kagome said, "Oh, you poor thing. Don't you worry, little Shippō. You're not getting punished and you won't be left alone either. Sesshōmaru, there _aren't_ any other daiyōkai kitsune other than Shippō, are there?"

He shook his head, before firmly stating to the little kit, "We will adopt you, Shippō. This Sesshōmaru's father and your father were very good friends before my father died, and it would be highly remiss of me to leave you in the care of a family that could not teach you the control you will eventually need to learn."

Shippō stilled at that, before tentatively asking, "You-you're Sesshōmaru-sama? The, the Western Lord?"

"Yes," her mate answered.

Then he added, "And this is my mate, Kagome. She will be your new mother, and if you can learn to accept me, I will be your father, once you have come to terms with what happened to your birth father."

Firstly, Kagome was immensely proud of her mate for only slipping into third person form of speech once during his entire time talking to little Shippō. But secondly, his last sentence to the little kitsune told Kagome that his mother was so long gone that he probably had no memory of her, which _oh_ it just made her wish to cry, it was so sad! "Inuyasha, would you gather our breakfast, please?"

For lunch and dinner one of the two adult males in the group always hunted and Kagome prepared the meat, but for breakfast they had her travel rations – this was in part to make them last longer, but also in part due to the fact that, because none of them were ningen, none of them had to eat a diet that a ningen would require. Kagome could – and had, frequently when growing up with Toga – go moons without any vegetables or carbohydrates; although she had never been lacking in fruit, as most yōkai, even traditionally carnivorous breeds, loved fruit and ate it regularly. Kagome knew that most tennyo and tennin were her opposite, eating a herbivorous or slightly omnivorous diet, but Kagome's body had been infused with the Shikon, of which the dominant soul was _yōkai_. It was likely that even had she been accepted by her sisters and brothers, she would have always been different to them. It made her so glad that her Kami creators had seen fit to place her with Toga, where she had grown and flourished perfectly well.

Inuyasha broke her out of her thoughts by returning with two bags of trail mix and two bags of the sweet jerky. Kagome had decided against them using the regular jerky as is – instead, while they were travelling they would stop at a large town and buy a pot for her to cook using, and she would use the salty meat to make stews with. That would make it more tolerable to their sensitive taste buds, and also prolong its usage overall.

Inuyasha shared his own bags with the little Shippō, as Kagome and Sesshōmaru ate their meal together, as was usual. Well then, it was really a good thing that they had been stalled here for so long, or who knew _what_ might have happened to the little kitsune! And now they had a slightly larger pack – but so far, _all_ of the pack was family. Even their newest member – Kagome now had a son to love!

* * *

Kagome hummed softly as she diced up vegetables and added them to the simmering, delicious-smelling liquid in the pot. There were already sautéed onions and carrots in the broth, along with cut up pieces of jerky, but now she added more onions, carrots, and sliced mushrooms, all bought at the large town they had just left. It was late afternoon, and they had stopped in their travels early in order that she could cook their dinner for them. As well as to let Shippō have a rest – even though he mostly rode on one of their shoulders, he was still not used to travelling so much, and although he was a hardy little thing, they were all careful of his health. Not just because he was young, but because he was precious – daiyōkai kitsune were vanishingly rare, and none of them wanted their son (or nephew, in Inuyasha's case) to get worn out. The special treatment would stop in another sennight or so – by then he would be used to travelling, as kitsune were always highly adaptable.

Shippō was curled up in Sesshōmaru's lap, and her mate was grooming his adopted son's tail; he had confessed to Kagome that his own father had always groomed him several times a day when he was young, so he felt that he should follow in Toga's footsteps. Not to mention, the action was helping Shippō to grow more comfortable with his new father, whom he had been a little bit distant with; likely because he didn't realise that, despite how he acted towards others, Sesshōmaru preferred informality amongst those close to him, rather than all the heavy formality of the courts. And there! Now the stew just had to simmer for another candle mark or so, and it would be ready to eat!

Kagome was keeping the vegetables in her plastic bags to help them stay fresh for longer, so she put the leftovers in the appropriate bags, and then left to sit on the sleeping bag with Sesshōmaru and Shippō. She cuddled into her mate's side, easily taking up grooming Shippō's hair as she relaxed into the warmth of her mate. It was steadily growing cooler and cooler during the day, and getting colder at night as well. So the heat he naturally produced was comforting to her and made her relaxed and content. Kagome had closed her eyes and been completely relaxed when she heard an unfamiliar man's voice ring out into the forest, "Okay Hachi, I give up! Now come back; we need to see if we can find any rumours of Naraku in this town – not to mention see if we can find a place to stay!"

Kagome heard a rustling noise and a tanuki stumbled across their camp, pressing a finger to his lips as he looked around and then dashed behind Sesshōmaru to hide. She saw him – rather hilariously, if also rather stupidly – hide between mokomoko-sama and Sesshōmaru, which made her peer up at her mate, who had just finished rolling his eyes when she looked. Good, he was choosing to be amused rather than to be irritated. Shippō was really helping to mellow her mate out – he was fascinated with mokomoko-sama, and along with Kagome frequently played with or petted the parasitic yōkai. She knew it felt nice to Sesshōmaru, even if he found it slightly undignified – but they were his family, and he was becoming more at ease with the action; there was no need to always be dignified amongst family.

Suddenly a man – correction, a _monk_ , complete with shakujō; this was a warrior – tripped into their camp, and as he sniffed the air he let out a big sigh, "Oh but that smells divine. Ah, but I am being rude! Hello there, my name is Miroku. Have any of you by any chance seen a tanuki?"

Shippō, the little scamp, pointed right towards Sesshōmaru, and Miroku lit up, dashing behind the daiyōkai. Kagome leaned back to watch as he grabbed the tanuki's tail and lifted him into the air. "There you are, Hachi! You shouldn't be bothering other people just to get out of work! Especially without introducing yourself."

Then the monk stepped back towards the fire and bowed very politely to them, "I apologise, yōkai-sama, miko-sama, hanyō-sama, kitsune-sama."

Kagome, who, being the most talkative member of the group, was always the spokesperson when encountering others, responded, "It is fine, Miroku-san. However… I do have a question for you, if you would not mind answering me?"

He nodded and smiled, sitting down and releasing Hachi, who immediately sat next to him, eyes bugging out as he stared at Sesshōmaru. Clearly he had just realised who he was in the presence of and was thinking that he was lucky to still be alive. "Go ahead, ah…?"

She smiled back at him, "My name is Kagome. Next to me is Sesshōmaru, in his lap is Shippō, and across from us practising his kata is Inuyasha. You mentioned Naraku earlier when you were seeking out your friend? We are currently on a quest, the main goal of which is to rid the world of him. Would you mind telling me why you are seeking him out?"

Miroku's eyes grew wide as he heard Sesshōmaru's name, but as Sesshōmaru had clearly not taken offence to any of his actions, he did not actually comment on that, which Kagome could not help but respect. Instead he answered her. "Well, you see. Naraku has harmed me, Kagome-sama, and I only just finished my training so that I might be able to lift the burden he has cursed me with."

Kagome, at the same time as Sesshōmaru, suddenly noticed a strange energy signature residing in the monk's right hand. She noticed the sacred prayer beads winding around his right forearm and the interesting fabric covering his hand, before beckoning to it, just at the same time as Sesshōmaru said, "What did the spider do to your hand, monk?"

He shook his head slightly, "Not directly to me, but to my grandfather. In the guise of a female that my grandfather had decided to court, he pierced his hand and cursed it with the kazaana, which grows every year until it eventually consumes the bearer. It killed both my grandfather and my father, and if I ever have a son, it will pass on to him once he is five. If I do not defeat Naraku, then it will eventually consume me as well. It is, however, a useful weapon, although dangerous to myself as each use widens it… it consumes anything and everything in its path, absorbing them into its void and destroying them."

Sesshōmaru gave an acknowledging "Hn," and a slow blink, before turning to Kagome, eyebrows raised. On the one hand, while being an asset, it was inherently dangerous. On the other hand, it was clearly well taken care of, and while a ningen would slow them down, it would be more than beneficial to have another competent fighter in the group, and this man clearly deserved to be part of the group to defeat Naraku.

Okay, so the decision wasn't so difficult after all. Kagome smiled brightly, and said, "Would you like to travel with us, Miroku-san? It would be unfair of us to not allow you a part in the defeat of Naraku, which is what we are aiming for. Your tanuki friend is welcome as well, if the two of you wish it, but…"

Miroku turned towards Hachi, "I will join them. I know you have been missing home, Hachi, so you are free to do whatever pleases you best."

Hachi took a few moments to think, before responding, "I think I shall head home, Miroku, and inform Mushin-sama that you have joined a powerful group of people to aid you in your quest. He will be relieved to know such."

Kagome smiled and nodded, "There will be plenty of stew to eat once it is finished cooking, which should be in another quarter of a candle mark or so. You are both welcome to join us for dinner and the night. As a warning, Miroku-san, we camp, rather than sleeping in towns, due to the mixed nature of our group, but my mate is also quite wealthy and we can buy a bedroll for you in town before we eat."

The monk nodded in acceptance of that, stating, "That would be quite welcome, thank you for your generosity, Kagome-sama. I _am_ curious, however – how is it that you met Sesshōmaru-sama?"

Kagome smiled slyly at him, gleeful at the chance to blow someone else's mind, "Well, that _is_ some tale to tell. I hope you have an open mind, Miroku-san."

* * *

The sixth, seventh, and eighth other members of their rapidly-growing group happened to all be yōkai that Kagome was familiar with already, and when the non-irritating member(s) showed up, Kagome ran to greet them, "Ah! Un! It's been _such_ a long time, and I have missed you so! Look how big the two of you have grown! How have you been – did you miss me?"

Kagome ignored Jaken's bowing and scraping in order to converse with her two-headed dragon friend, who had been summoned so that they could carry both more food for the group, now that it was expanded and they had a ningen who subsisted on an omnivorous diet travelling with them, as well as to carry _Miroku_ , as, when given the choice, he had stated he would rather not slow them down. As well, Ah-Un was extra protection for their pack, who would all have to stay at the base of the mountain when Kagome and Sesshōmaru went up to visit with Tōtōsai and have a Fang created for her to use. Sesshōmaru was no longer in need of another sword – yesterday morning after he had finished training with Inuyasha, the most extraordinary thing had happened! His yōki had swirled and condensed around him, and just as he had placed Tenseiga in its sheath, manifested a sword!

The blue eyed tennyo was exceedingly proud of her mate – he was beyond powerful, having manifested a sword from his own yōki rather than having to have one made from one of his fangs. Not even his father had been capable of that! She also was fairly certain of the _why_ of it happening – Sesshōmaru had fully and completely stopped resenting that Tessaiga had been given to Inuyasha. He recognised that Inuyasha needed the sword more than he _ever_ would, and no longer in any way wished that it had been given to him. She didn't need him to tell her this – she had felt it in their mating bond, the moment he stopped the last lingering vestiges of resentment and had instead been full of pride in his half-brother, who was learning by leaps and bounds.

Ah, but she could think about that later. Now she led them to a suitable camping spot, and they all settled down for the night – the others to have a lie-in and a break for the next few days, and Kagome and Sesshōmaru to get a good night's rest before they travelled up the mountain.

When Kagome woke up, she frowned at first – before remembering that in order to allow Shippō to be able to sleep in, they had asked him to sleep with Miroku in his bedroll. That would be why her son was not in her arms. Sighing softly, she turned around and rested her cheek against her mate's chest, inhaling his scent deeply and allowing it to relax her. He was awake and watching her – she could feel his eyes on her – and she smiled, nuzzling closer to him as he tightened his arms around her. After a few more moments of comfortable snuggling, she slid away and grabbed their breakfast. Sesshōmaru left their sleeping bags shortly after her, and they walked out of camp together before eating their breakfast. They didn't want to wake anyone up with the crunching of their food.

Then they headed to the bottom of the mountain, surrounded themselves with barriers to keep the sulphuric air at bay, and each used their methods of flying to rise to the top of the mountain. The landed together, and Kagome stepped in behind Sesshōmaru so as to conceal her presence – she wanted to _hear_ Tōtōsai's reaction to hearing that she was back more than she wanted him to spot her before he could deny Sesshōmaru a sword. Smirking to herself, she listened as they walked into the cavern and Sesshōmaru called out, "Tōtōsai, this Sesshōmaru has need of you to create a weapon for his mate."

Sure enough, the first sound was a spluttering denial, "I've told you before and I'll say it agai-wait, your _mate_? She's back? Kagome finally returned?!"

Kagome peeked around Sesshōmaru only to see an excited and shocked look upon the old geezer's face, so she stepped more fully out from behind Sesshōmaru and smiled softly. "It's been a while, Tōtōsai. How have you been? As you can see, Sesshōmaru no longer needs a sword for himself; he recently manifested one straight out of his yōki. But he does wish for me to have protection better than what a ningen weapon would give me."

Her words had Tōtōsai muttering to himself and staring at her with wide eyes before he opened his arms. Smiling, Kagome stepped forward and gave him a hug, before stepping back to lean into her mate again. "Of course, of course. Any requirements?"

Sesshōmaru quickly listed off what he wished for her weapon to be able to do, and Kagome walked around the smoggy cavern, curiously peering at things until she was turned around and kissed gently. She giggled and wrapped her arms around Sesshōmaru before letting him go again, and he took her hand in his, leading her further into the caverns. "Tōtōsai says it should take three days. Do you wish to stay here, return to camp, or find another place to camp out for that period of time?"

Kagome felt what her mate was sending to her through their bond – consideration, love, and… interest. Oh but it _had_ been forever since they were able to have some alone time together, and Kagome returned the interest tenfold, rubbing up against Sesshōmaru. "We can camp here for a couple days, just so we get a nice visit to Tōtōsai in… but not today. Let's find another place to camp so we can be together with no interruptions."

He leaned down to kiss her senseless, and by the time she was conscious of her surroundings again, Sesshōmaru had picked Kagome up, told Tōtōsai their plans, and was already heading down the mountain at a much more rapid speed than they had ascended it with.

She was every last bit as eager for his touch.

* * *

Kodokuso was a brilliant weapon. It was originally a light katana of the kind she favoured, before spontaneously shifting into a longbow more like what she was generally used to using. As it turned out, in addition to being able to shift forms, it was also highly poisonous, hence the name – Kodokuso meant "anti-venom". Slightly ironic but eminently suitable.

* * *

Miroku was learning an entirely new way of life, and it was… interesting. He didn't dare be his mask around the eminently powerful and deadly Sesshōmaru-sama, especially since the only female member of their group was Kagome-sama, his mate. It was strange not to be groping and flirting with a female, but… Miroku was finding that he liked living like this. Not _needing_ a mask was a rather novel thing for him, as he knew that he could trust the members of his group not to use their knowledge of how he really was against him. Not to mention, they all liked him for who he was, rather than him having to hide behind a mask of cheerfulness and flirtations in order not to bare his soul to other people.

Information gathering was done now with a deft and subtle hand, relying even more on his being able to read people than it used to, and using only his façade of cheerfulness instead of adding flirtations into the mix.

He was especially glad of this when they acquired a new member of the group – Sango-san was beautiful, strong, a warrior, and indelibly pained from Naraku killing her younger brother in what should have been a normal taijiya mission. He was definitely attracted to her, but due to her presence and Sesshōmaru's presence in the group, he showed this not by flirting but by listening, giving advice, and being chastely attentive. His attentions were being noticed too – Sango-san was utterly gorgeous when she blushed, which happened every time he touched her by letting their fingers brush as he handed her something, or embraced her when she was sobbing over the loss of her brother, and other various innocent things.

It occurred to him less than a sennight into her induction into the pack that he was – tentatively – _courting_ her. He found, however, that he did not mind this – any relationship garnered from his past flirtations would have inevitably been shallow. This had the potential to be deep and lasting. Especially what with how they could connect on a deep level, their experiences at the hands of Naraku binding them together.

Miroku was rather pleased at the opportunity for a real, lasting love that was granted to him by the Kami because he had agreed to join Sesshōmaru-sama and Kagome-sama in their quest.

* * *

Sango… well. Sango was, first and foremost, _highly_ amused that the three most powerful members of her travelling group were all _inu_ yōkai (well Kagome-sama was a tennyo, but she was clearly just as inu as Sesshōmaru-sama, and she acted very yōkai), considering that her lifelong companion was a _neko_ mata. However, the strangest thing about that whole situation was that Kagome-sama, Sesshōmaru-sama, and even the dragon, Ah-Un, all were familiar with Kirara. The yōkai and tennyo could even _speak_ to her! Sango had been a little jealous, she had to admit – but before that festering emotion could take root, Kagome-sama had offered to make it so that she could speak to her nekomata friend as well. Conditional on Miroku-san being given the same gift so that he was not left out. Kagome-sama was clearly attached deeply to the monk they travelled with, so Sango had willingly and easily agreed.

Now she could talk to her best friend!

As for Miroku-san… Sango snuck a glance at him, caught him watching her warmly, and averted her gaze with a blush. He was, well… Understanding, comforting, very wise, and highly attentive towards her. He was sweet, and chaste, and very open with his heart, which was unusual to see in a male, although that might be in part due to his being a monk but which Sango suspected to be more a product of being in the "pack" as the other members called it. It didn't feel like it as much any more, but in her first sennight here it had felt like he was tightly leashing something – perhaps a response he normally would have had. However he seemed to have become more content with how things were actually panning out and Sango had to say – she was too.

* * *

Kagome smiled as she watched the two ningen members of her pack ride on their newest yōkai companion, her dear friend Kirara. Seeing Kirara again had been a wonderful gift, and Sango-san was very wonderful to be around as well.

Suddenly, the unpleasant tang of ningen blood invaded her sense of smell, and she looked worriedly towards Sesshōmaru, who was also scenting the air. He growled out, "Ōkami."

Sure enough, Kagome smelled them as well after a second, and they all rushed towards where they smelled the ōkami to be. Ōkami ate ningen, and Kagome was no longer as prejudiced against them as she used to be; how could she dislike them as she had when she had Miroku-san and Sango-san as dear friends? That would be hypocritical and Kagome was no hypocrite. What they found when they arrived made Kagome choke – and made her wish that all yōkai were as honourable as those of the Western Lands. There was a tribe of ōkami chasing down the ningen in this village, eating them alive. She interfered when she saw one of them grab a malnourished looking girl and begin to eat her, rushing forward and purifying the ōkami. The rest of her pack followed her, wading in and attacking the yōkai in the group. At her pleading look, Sesshōmaru wielded Tenseiga on the young girl.

Kagome watched breathlessly as the little ningen girl made a soft noise, her eyes fluttering open. She unashamedly stared at Kagome and Sesshōmaru, and Kagome looked around – the attacking ōkami were all dead, good. Smiling gently, she picked the girl up and held her close to her body. "Hello there, sweetie. What's your name? Mine is Kagome, and next to me is Sesshōmaru."

The girl continued her staring, before opening her mouth and closing it again. Then she coughed, and her voice – raspy with disuse – tentatively ventured, "Rin's name is Rin. T-thank you for saving Rin, Kagome-sama, Sesshōmaru-sama."

She smiled down at the young girl, who couldn't be more than eight, and nuzzled her forehead lightly. "You don't need to be so formal, little one."

Then she looked over the girl's malnourished form and her distinctly grubby kimono. A suspicion bloomed in her mind, and she decided to confirm it, softly asking, "Are you an orphan, Rin?"

Rin nodded, and Kagome's heart went out to her, "Rin's parents were killed by bandits last year."

Kagome looked at Sesshōmaru beseechingly, and he gave her a fond smile, leaning over to kiss her before speaking to the little ningen girl for the first time. "Then we shall adopt you, Rin. We have a son who is kitsune though, does that bother you?"

Rin's eyes widened and she smiled brightly, "Rin will have a mama and a papa again? You really mean it?"

The tennyo giggled; clearly Rin didn't mind having a kitsune brother. Kagome responded to her, "Sesshōmaru never says anything that he does not mean unless it is necessary, Rin. I would love to be your mama, sweetheart, and I know that Shippō would really enjoy having an older sister to play with."

Rin began to cry then, relieved tears flowing down her face as she clung to Kagome's kimono, gratefully saying, "T-thank you _so much_ , Mama! Rin has been so alone, but Mama and Papa saved Rin!"

Her heart melted at that, and she held the little girl closer, leaning into her mate's embrace as he helped her comfort and reassure the young girl.

She hoped they found Naraku soon, so they could settle in the Western shiro and raise their family in peace.

* * *

Naraku was tricky, and had been difficult to find, but they finally got a recent and reliable lead on him, and were currently navigating his most recent lair, deftly disabling the traps, purifying his hellish saimyōshō, and meandering deeper into the mountain caves his lair was in. When they finally reached him, he seemed startled, before hissing furiously and rapidly shapeshifting, growing tentacles and attacking them with all of the rage in the world.

Her pack, however, was more than adept, and well used to fighting together by now. Ah-Un was watching the children with Jaken, Sango was deftly throwing her hiraikotsu and cutting apart the tentacles in great swathes, Miroku was using his shakujō to alternately purify and cut apart more tentacles, Inuyasha was wielding Tessaiga to great effect, the blade getting ready to transform so he could use the Wind Scar attack it had. Sesshōmaru was using his whip and Bakusaiga, and Kagome herself was using Kodokuso, purifying large clusters of tentacles.

Finally one of Sango's attacks struck home, opening a path to Naraku's main body, and Kagome shot a purifying and poisoning arrow into his form, causing him to screech in pain as she shot more of her ki arrows into him, purifying him more strongly each time.

On the fifth shot, his body was enveloped with her pink ki, and turned to ash in the cave. As soon as he died, a swarm of saimyōshō buzzed into the room, and Kagome and Miroku set to purifying them all, every last one of them, and then they left, making sure to explore the cave system on their way out to look for more of the poisonous wasps. They found three more groups of them before they finally finished and headed back to camp, sweaty but triumphant.

Once they got there, the children ran to them, and Kagome and Sesshōmaru each picked a child up, nuzzling their foreheads and smiling as their daughter and son asked them, "Well? Did you beat him?"

Kagome allowed Sesshōmaru to answer them, watching tenderly as he combed through Rin's short ponytail gently, nodding. "Naraku has been defeated. Now it is time to go home."

Yes, now it was time to go home, and live out the rest of her life with her beloved mate and children – both current and yet to come.


End file.
